Leaders from various communities, including Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, Saturday announced that they will soon form a joint front against terrorism in light of various communal clashes that have rocked Uttar Pradesh for the past several months now.

The leaders were supposed to come together at a large rally at Bada Imambara Saturday, which was cancelled a couple of days ago, so they chose to organise a small congregation at Imambara Ghufran Ma’ab instead.

The Bada Imambara rally was supposed to be against “terrorism in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Iraq and especially by Israel against Palestine.”

Addressing the conference, Shia cleric Kalbe Jawwad said “terrorism has only divided the society.”

Locally, he said, communities had been polarised for political gains, announcing an “all-religion front against terrorism soon”.

Brahmin community leader Swami Sarang said the front would also oppose the “mentality which flourishes with terrorism.” The task of the front would be to promote unity among the people whenever clashes break out anywhere.

Criticising the state government for denying permission for their rally, Jawwad said the state government doesn’t want Hindus and Muslims and Shias and Sunnis to come together as it would then become difficult to divide them and get their votes.

He said the state government cited the “excuse” of bypolls now but he and others will announce a rally once the polls are over.

“The rally will be held at Bada Imambara only,” he said at the conference attended by community leaders from Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Muzaffarnagar, Haryana, Varanasi, among other places.

Sikh leader Gurmeet Singh said it is sad that the state government has denied a rally at a time when most of the world is grappling with terrorism. “Leaders such as Azam Khan (a senior cabinet minister in UP government) are dividing the Sunnis and Shias,” he said.

Yogi Yatindra Nand Giri Ji Maharaj of Uttarakhand and convenor of Sadhu Parsihad said it was curious that in all the riots in the state, Azam’s name crops up somehow and called for an FIR against him.

Assuring support of Brahmin community, Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Samaj president Rajendra Nath Tripathi said Jawwad is being opposed “as he has sought out to cure an incurable disease”.